The Theory
by Rune-Spirit
Summary: NOT YAOI! Téa convinces the guys that Kaiba's gay. What's more, they think he likes Joey. What will happen once the entire school finds out? WARNING: the most OOC Kaiba EVER!
1. Kaiba's What!

RS: I just had to write this one, the plot bunnies were torturing me! I know I'm supposed to be focusing on 'The Tesseract' and 'Unexpected Love/Feelings' but I needed to get this one out. This was originally going to be a one shot, but became too long. It won't be extensive: five chapters max… I think. Anyway, here ya go!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! and don't want to think up a witty disclaimer. So there, Nyah! (Sticks Out Tongue)

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**Kaiba's What!**

"What's eatin' you, Téa?" Tristan called to his friend sitting across the table, "You seem kinda distracted." Yugi continued for him.

"Tristan's right, is something wrong?" His violet eyes shone with worry as he gazed up at her. She only giggled.

"Nothing's wrong, guys." Téa assured them, "I've just been thinking about something… well, someone."

"Like who?" Tristan asked, now giving her his full attention, "C'mon, you gotta tell me!"

"Ok, ok." She laughed out, "I'll tell you. But, let's just get one thing straight: I'm not thinking of him because I like him, it's purely musing. Are we all clear on that?" Both boys nodded their heads vigorously, eager for her to continue.

"So, who are you thinking about and why?" Tristan pressed impatiently.

"Well…" she paused trying to seem uncertain, when in reality she just wanted to drag out the suspense.

"Ya know, Téa, if you don't want to tell us," Yugi comforted, understandingly "you really don't have to." His big eyes seemed so sincere.

"No, that's ok, Yugi, I do want to tell you. I'm just dragging out the suspence a little longer…" She trailed off, knowing that Tristan might explode if she didn't let him in on her thoughts soon.

"Aw, c'mon! Tell us already… please!" her brunette friend moaned.

"Well," she started, "since you asked so nicely. I've actually been thinking about… Kaiba." Her two friends stared at her with wide eyes. Everything was silent for a moment, then all hell broke lose.

"Kaiba?" Calm, collected Yugi had cracked.

"What would you be thinking about _him_ for!" Tristan demanded angrily as Yugi calmed himself down. "You can't possibly have feelings for that jerk! Don't you remember everything he put us through!"

"Don't _you_ remember what _I_ said earlier?" Téa countered coolly, "I believe it was, and I quote, 'I'm not thinking of him 'cause I like him, it's purely musing.' So calm down!"

"Well I don't know what 'musing' means!" Tristan yelled angrily.

"It means that I was just thinking about him and why he acts the way he does! I wasn't _daydreaming_ about him!"

"Why were you wondering about Kaiba's motivations?" Yugi inquired sweetly in an attempt to calm his friends down.

"Yeah, Kaiba acts the way he does 'cause he's a jerk. There's nothing more to it!" The tan boy stated.

"Well, since you have your minds made up, I guess you aren't interested in hearing about my theory."

"I'm interested," offered Yugi, he really hoped his friends would stop bickering. They didn't do it often, but when they did it upset him. "Can you tell me?" The champion duelist was also aware that Tristan wanted to hear her ideas as well. Téa smiled kindly at the small boy.

"Ok, Yugi." She caved, "You guys know how Kaiba doesn't have a girlfriend?"

"Yes…" Yugi agreed unsurely.

"And you know how he's always treating you guys like dirt, especially Joey?" She continued.

"Yeah… what about it?" Inquired Tristan.

"Well, when someone likes someone else, sometimes they tease them."

"So what?" Her friends were lost. She sighed irritated.

"I think Kaiba's gay." Her two companions' jaws hit the ground, "And what's more," she continued, "I think he has a crush on Joey." The guys blinked. They blinked a second time. And then a third.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Laughter filled the low budget fast food joint, earning the group some angry and annoyed glances.

"No offense, Téa," Yugi called, "But I think you've lost it."

"I agree with Yugi, there is no way."

"Come on guys, think about it!" Téa pushed, "He's surrounded by fan girls, but they don't affect him, even though he doesn't have a girlfriend. In fact, he never even _looks_ at girls! He always goes out of his way to annoy Joey. It all adds up! Plus, he's never staring at girls during class, only glaring at _guys_."

"Well," Yugi pondered, "You make a valid point…"

"And the way he sits," Téa continued, "with his legs crossed in that fashion: gay. Don't even get me started on what he wears…"

"What he wears is gay?" Yugi asked, confused. Téa opened her mouth to answer, but never got the chance.

"I think Téa's right about Kaiba." Tristan spoke for the first time since she began explaining herself.

"Wha?" Yugi's eyes widened.

"Téa's female, Yugi, and most girls have this thing which they affectionately refer to as 'gaydar'." Tristan explained, "It means that they can spot a homosexual male almost immediately." (An: No offense to any non-heterosexual readers! I have absolutely nothing against the gay community! But women such as myself do have, and use the term, 'gaydar'.)

"Are you sure?" Yugi hesitated.

"Positive. And their gaydar is extremely accurate. Am I right?" He turned to his feminine companion, who nodded her head.

"Yup, I know a gay guy when I see one." She affirmed.

"Man," Tristan mused, "once he's done with detention, I gotta tell Joey 'bout his secret admirer…"

* * *

"WHAT?" Tristan moved the phone away from his ear as a painfully loud scream erupted from the other end of the line.

"Dude, it's true!" He argued, "And we both know she's gotta be right."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW!"

"Duh, gaydar."

"Oh yeauh…" Joey recalled, scratching the back of his head, "But it don't make no sense! Everyone knows ah'm straight, ah'm datin' Mai!"

"Téa says that the fact he knows your straight plays a role in why he bullies you and thinks he's angry that you chose Mai over him. Apparently this is his way of getting attention from you while keeping his personal feelings a secret."

"Okay, you just quoted 'er. Dere's no way ya'd talk like dat."

"Yeah, but that's beside the point."

"Well, what _is_ da point, den?"

"The point is: What are we gonna do about Kaiba?"

"Eh, let 'im like me. Nuthin's gonna happen." The conversation soon switched to more common topics, such as duel monsters and girls. Although, they still threw in the occasional 'gay Kaiba' joke.

* * *

School rolled around all too soon for the students of Domino City High School, but there was nothing they could do. Monday came no matter what. Different groups of friends and cliques huddled in different parts of the courtyard, discussing the events of the past two days. Téa was standing with Yugi, Tristan, Joey, Duke, and Ryou, the latter two having no idea of the other four's weekend discussions.

A sleek black limo pulled up to the front gate and a tall brunette stepped out. His icy cobalt eyes scanned the surrounding area, glaring the entire time. Their gaze fell on the cheerful group joyously chatting under a tree. The girl and her significantly taller blonde friend were currently leading the conversation. Seto Kaiba's heart skipped a beat.

He strode over purposefully like he did everyday, deliberately knocking into Joey Wheeler as he passed by, expecting the usual reaction: Yugi pouting sadly, Ryou looking nervous, Duke and Tristan restraining Joey as he tried to attack, and Téa angrily getting in his face. However, none of the above happened. Instead, Téa, Tristan, and Yugi all tried in vain to conceal their obvious mirth and smother their laughter as Ryou and Duke looked on in confusion. Joey snickered, bowing and throwing out his arms as he stepped backward, allowing the handsome CEO to pass. Kaiba paused, observing them with suspicious eyes, before continuing his stride. He caught Joey winking at him as he passed, causing the four giddy members of their group to crack-up.

"What was that all about?" Duke asked addlebrained.

"Indeed," Ryous thick, British accent rang out in agreement, "I am a feeling a tad puddingheaded as well." The rest of the group momentarily gaped at their friend's unusual choice of words. Téa was the first to recover, and she opened her mouth to offer an explanation. The crisp ring of the morning bell cut through the morning air and marked the beginning of the stampede of students rushing into the school building.

"I'll tell you later." Téa called, before joining the herd of teens.

* * *

Seto Kaiba sat, completely zoned out, in Social Studies. The professor was lecturing on and on about World War II, but Kaiba had already completed the worksheet he was supposed to fill in as he spoke. He was currently contemplating the group's odd behavior. He had been hoping for the same reaction he always got, and was baffled at their sudden change in attitude. He had really been hoping for his crush to come at him like usual.

'_I'll bump into him again later, that ought to set the little group off. They were probably just tired or something.' _

Kaiba performed the exact deed he had done earlier, but the result was the same if not worse. They only laughed even more as he walked away.

* * *

"Can you please inform us of what's been going on now?" Ryou asked as they all exited the school. Kaiba had just bumped into Joey rather rudely, and sent Tristan, Yugi, and Téa, as well as the victim, into fresh peels of laughter.

"Yeah, you guys looked about ready to wet yourselves back there." Duke agreed. The three boys met his remark angrily, but Téa just waved it off.

"Alright, alright." She turned to her, informed, friends. "I'll tell them, I know you guys have to get home. See ya tomorrow!" They all said their good byes as Téa pulled Duke and Ryou around the corner of the school. She proceeded to spill the beans.

"KAIBA'S WHAT!"

"ARE YOU SERIOUS!"

"Guys, calm down! Duke: Kaiba's gay, Ryou: I'm dead serious."

"Wow…" the emerald-eyed boy ran a hand through his raven locks.

"Yeah… oh! I've gotta go. Remember: don't tell anyone yet! Bye!" Téa ran down the street with chocolate colored hair flying and her skirt flying much higher than usual. Duke showed no discretion about checking her out from the back, until the other male cleared his throat.

"What?" he asked innocently, albeit dumbly. The Brit only walked away after rolling his eyes.

As he disappeared around the corner, he caught one final remark: "Was it something I said?" he only shook his head at his companion's idiocy.

* * *

"Seto Kaiba's gay? Oh my gosh, I have to tell everyone!" the girl tore down the street, her sea foam hair swaying, with an excited, yet arguably evil, glint in her eye. When she arrived home, she wasted no time in calling everyone she knew, while hopping on instant messenger to reach even more people.

* * *

As soon as Kaiba stepped out of his limo Tuesday morning, he knew something was up. People don't usually point or stare at you while laughing. Yes, something was going on and he was determined to find out what… after knocking Wheeler over. He had to witness his crush's face flushing red with anger, it got him going through the day.

But, something went wrong. People watched him do it. Afterwards, everyone in school was laughing. What was wrong with this picture? He rushed briskly inside, straight into someone's chest. The girl fell to the ground with a grunt, but quickly picked herself, and her things, up and turned to him.

"Good for you, Seto Kaiba." She smiled widely at him, "It's great that you're this comfortable with your sexuality, especially when people like us will never gain others' respect." With that said, she turned and met up with another girl. They walked around the corner holding hands.

'_What the hell is going on?'_ Kaiba shook his head but kept walking. He turned the corner, only to bump into a second pair of students, this time a boy and a girl.

"Eww! Get away from me you faggot!" the female exclaimed while shaking off her hand like she'd just touched something disgusting. She then turned on her heal and walked away with the boy, presumably her boyfriend. They snickered, glancing back every few seconds.

'Faggot? What the-' 

"Hey!" a blonde haired boy ran up to him, panting. He then handed the CEO a slip of paper, winking. "Call me!" He then ran off again, afraid to incur the taller male's wrath.

'_Wait a minute…'_ it all began coming together. _'"Comfortable with your sexuality', 'faggot', and 'call me'? They think I'm…'_

"WHAT?" he was pissed, to say the least. He stormed out of the building, slamming the doors to the courtyard open. Everyone stared. More whispers.

"Who started this!" he seethed. A crumpled piece of lined paper came from his 'audience' and hit him in the chest. The blue-eyed brunette scanned its words, before re-crumpling it. "I'M NOT A FAGGOT!"

"Mr. Kaiba! Can I see you in my office please?" The principal turned on his heel and entered the mostly deserted building.

'Shit…'

* * *

"…And so, because you are not a constant offender, I am letting you off with two weeks of after school and lunch detention. Are we agreed Mr. Kaiba?"

"Yes sir." Kaiba growled through clenched teeth.

'_Smarmy bastard!'_ the boy flipped off the elder in his head.

"Good," the neatly trimmed man stood and held open the door. "Then you may leave. Go to class, you can acquire a late pass from the substitute secretary at the front desk." Kaiba stepped out of the cramped office and another teen stepped in. The principal's door slammed behind the poor soul. The multimillionaire walked to the secretary: a twenty-two year old blond, hair falling in soft waves to her shoulder blades.

'Damn…' 

"Late pass." He grunted rudely, praying the ditz wouldn't look up.

'_Ugh, what a slut! Please attempt to flirt with me…'_ her low-cut, red, spaghetti-strap dress hardly reached the middle of her thighs. Her face was heavily covered with make-up, her lips a blinding crimson color. Besides her vibrant, ruby, six-inch stilettos, she had obviously opted for a push-up… to go with her implants. Acrylic, cherry nails and red purse finished the look, with a crimson cardigan left hanging on the back of her chair. (An: incase you're thinking of different colors, all the words I just used mean plain, old red.) Her stormy, gray eyes glanced down at a piece of paper and Kaiba squinted slightly, acutely aware of how much her bright clothing affected her pale skin.

"Here." She jotted down a hall pass with slight difficulty from her fake nails. She prepared to hand it to him when she glanced up. Smirking, the girl quirked a brow and jotted her number on the back of his paper. "I'm Feliciana, by the way. Just give me a ring if you're ever looking for a good time." She batted her eyelashes suggestively, leaning down to give him a more intimate view of her chest.

"I could have you fired." Kaiba shoved the slip in his pocket and left the office.

'_My hearts already taken… why must it be in the hands of Yugi's friend?'_ He opened the door to his first period; causing the class to hush, then giggle. Shoving the hall pass into his instructor's hands, he headed toward his seat.

"I tink I'll make moneybags' day by sayin' hi." Joey whispered to Tristan, who bit his knuckle to keep from laughing.

"Mornin' Kaiba."

"Shut it, mutt."

* * *

"Well, Ms. Gardner, care to explain why you are here?" the principal asked expectantly. Everyone knew what that really meant: tell me why you're here so I can say I heard both sides of the story before disciplining you.

"I fell asleep in trigonometry, sir." Téa mumbled miserably, looking down. Her brown hair formed a curtain around her face.

"Ms. Gardner, you are an excellent student. You are a member of the honor society and service club, and you maintain an A/B+ average. Therefore, I am not going to come down hard on you. You can serve a week of after school detention with Mr. Kaiba." The young girl's head shot-up like a rocket, her eyes held a pleading look.

"Oh but sir, isn't there any other way?"

"Other than detention?"

"Other than Kaiba." The older man chuckled at her bias.

"Ms. Gardner, I am fully aware of just how tough to take Mr. Kaiba is, believe me. However, I do believe that this morning's events have mellowed him, if only a slight amount. Just ignore him and he'll ignore you. Are we all clear then, Ms. Gardner?"

"Yes sir." She let herself out of his office and another pupil walked in. Stepping up to the front desk, she waited to be acknowledged by the daydreaming secretary.

'_What a slut, she must have absolutely no self respect if she's wearing that disgusting thing!'_ Tired of waiting, Téa cleared her throat.

"What do you want?" Was the woman's only, irritable response.

"I need a hall pass, please." The brunette clenched her teeth angrily and contained her desire to punch the obnoxious blonde.

"Oh, sorry. I was just daydreaming…"

"Yeah that's great, hall pass."

"Don't you want to know what I was daydreaming about… or who?"

"To be perfectly blunt, I really couldn't care less."

"You're just jealous because Seto Kaiba is going to ask me out!" The grey-eyed teen hissed, handing Téa her newly written hall pass. The other girl only smirked, stuffing the slip into her pocket.

"Oh really, you think so?"

"Yes, I gave him my number." The scantily clad secretary flaunted, causing her rival to laugh and earn a confused look.

"I'll tell ya what: if he calls you, I'll eat a pound of whatever type of latex your breasts are made out of." With that finishing statement she sauntered out the door, effectively getting the last word in.

* * *

"Wow, Téa, I can't believe you really got a week's worth detention,"

"And with Kaiba no less!" Joey waved his arms around, causing Yugi to sweat drop.

"Uh, Joey: that's not exactly the point I was trying to make." He stated gently.

"But still, maybe she c'n get Kaiba ta say somethin'" She decided it was time to step in.

"Oh no, Joey. I'm not going to be your spy."

"Besides," Tristan added, to lighten the mood, "I'm sure Joey could get way more information by seducing him." Their small group roared with laughter at the comment, before a cold voice brought them back down to Earth.

"If you seriously think that mutt can actually 'seduce' me, then you are sadly mistaken." Kaiba's cold, blue eyes glared at the group, before falling on Téa. His cobalt orbs made contact with her sparkling sapphires as he spoke. "I've been told to inform you that detention begins today, directly after school. Once you finished packing up your things, report directly to room 666."

"How ironic: the devil." Her pessimistic comment caused Kaiba to smirk.

"I'm sure they made it that way on purpose, especially since the other room numbers only reach 471."

"True…"

"Hey!" Joey intruded, "I just realized, Téa, you go to honor society in room 777!" Everyone sweat dropped.

"Uh, Joey, that's 467."The boy blushed and Kaiba rolled his eyes, before stalked over to an empty, secluded table in the only remotely shadowy corner of cafeteria. After pulling out, and booting up, his laptop, he began to type.

"Man," Tristan sighed, "guess he decided to put you in detention as soon as possible, before Joey gets any more. Probably wanted to keep you to separate."

"Yeah, I guess so…"

**End Chapter**

* * *

RS: What do ya think? I've already got chapter 2 written and ready to be posted. I'm just gonna wait a week or so to put it up. See ya later!


	2. Chapter 2

RS: here's chapter 2, enjoy. I'm not doing shout-outs for this story, sorry!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! and still can't think of something witty to say.

* * *

'_Well, this is it; room 666.'_ Téa's hand hovered just above the doorknob.

"You have to turn it, Gardner. Or do I have to do it?" She only glared at Kaiba and stepped back, motioning for him to ho ahead… before flipping him off. Rolling his eyes, he opened the door.

"After you…" he imitated her earlier actions: motion to go ahead, flip the bird. She decided to play his little game and rolled her eyes before entering.

'_Damn… did she always sway her hips like that?'_

"Hello sir." Téa greeted the teacher politely.

"Ah, Ms. Gardner… _and_ Mr. Kaiba? My, I don't believe I've ever had either of you in here before. Why the sudden change?" The middle aged man joked lightheartedly.

"I fell asleep in class, and Kaiba yelled out some inappropriate language for all the students to hear."

"Ih whos wuhn wirg." The CEO muttered darkly.

"What was that, Mr. Kaiba?"

"I said, 'It was one word.'"

"And what word was that?"

"…"

"C'mon, you can tell him Kaiba."

"You won't get in trouble, I would just like to know."

"… Faggot."

"Ah yes, would that have anything to do with the new rumor going around the school?"

"…"

"Kaiba's dead set on convincing people he's not homosexual."

"I see… well, take your seats."

"… That's it?" the man laughed.

"Yes Ms. Gardner, that's it. Were you expecting something else?"

"Well, the way Joey talked about made it sound like a Nazi concentration camp."

"Well I can confidently promise that you will both leave this room unharmed. Now sit quietly, you are not permitted to do anything." So, Kaiba and Téa sat doing nothing while the professor graded papers for two hours. Once the time was up, the departed their separate ways: Téa meeting her friends at Domino City Mall, and Kaiba meeting a business associate.

"You survived!" The feminine brunette rolled her eyes as she pulled up a chair. Surprisingly enough, the only place the four companions were able to go for pizza was Domino City Mall. Picking up her paper plate, she grasped a slice of the greasy heaven.

"Honestly Joey, it wasn't that bad… albeit I was incredibly restless by the time it ended."

"What do you do in detention?" Yugi's eyes were wide and innocent, causing the corners of her mouth to quirk as she bit into her food. She pretended to be thoughtful as she chewed and lowered her eyelids as she swallowed. Inwardly, she smirked.

"I-it was h-h-oribble!" She coaxed fake tears from the corners of her eyes, "K-Kaiba was th-there a-and…"

"What 'appened?" Joey questioned as the three boys leaned in, slightly worried. "Moneybags didn't do anyting ta ya did'e? 'Cause if 'e did…"

"W-we had t-to… SIT QUIETLY FOR TWO HOURS!" she giggled at the look on her friends' faces. And, soon, Tristan was laughing too, followed by Joey, then Yugi.

"What's up with you, Téa?" Tristan asked, once they finished. Calmly, she turned to him.

"I just spent two hours sitting quietly, Tristan. What do you think is wrong with me?" her friends only shrugged, causing her to sigh. "I don't think I've ever felt so hyper in my life!" They could've sworn she twitched.

"Well, in dat case, da arcade it is!" He earned quizzical looks, "Fo' DDR!" Téa's features brightened drastically as she jumped up.

"ALRIGHT!"

"Téa! I… can't… breath!" the blond was quickly turning blue from her vice-like hug.

"Whoops, sorry!"

"Don' worry 'bout it. Le's jus' go!" the gang paid their bill and walked off toward the arcade.

"Wow, Téa, you're still unbeatable!" Tristan offered her a thumbs-up and wink, grinning proudly at her.

"Thanks for taking me here, you guys. I seriously needed to let loose. This was great." She smiled up, and down, at them and the willingly returned the kind gesture.

"Uh-oh! Guys, I've gotta go. I'm promised my grandpa I'd help clean the shop today and I'm late!" Yugi spazzed (An: hehe… it aint a word!).

"Man it really is getting late, I should go to." The brunette glanced down at his watch.

"Yeauh, me t'ree. I gotta get ta wuhk soon." Joey added.

"C'mon guys, I'll give you a ride. You comin' Téa?

"No thanks guys, I'm gonna stay a little longer."

"All right, then. See ya later." The group said their goodbyes and headed off to Tristan's car. Téa took a deep breath and rolled her neck.

"Huh?" She gasped as two arms found their way around her waist and a chin rested itself on her shoulder. The mysterious figures tongue flicked out to lick her neck, causing her to grimace in disgust.

"Ready to play?" His hot breath tickled Téa ear as his fingers lightly drew lazy circles on her hipbone suggestively.

"Johnny."

"Don't worry, Kaiba-boy, Industrial Illusions will make a wonderful associate for Kaiba Corp." (An: I would like to take this opportunity to start a short rant: it's Kaiba Corp. not, Kaibacorp or Kaiba-corp. or Kaiba Corps, it's Kaiba Corp.! Corp. stands for corporation! Got it!)

Yes, it was true. Due to Kaiba Corp.'s board he was being forced to make a deal with Industrial Illusions. It wasn't that he doubted that the contract would be profitable, he was just unhappy about the idea of working with Pegasus. Their limo came to halt and the two gentlemen stepped out.

"What are we doing at Domino City Mall?" Kaiba asked irritably.

"Well, Kaiba-boy, we need to stop at the arcade and see what the most popular games are."

"We already have the statistics."

"Ah, but you have to understand what your customers are thinking while they play the games. Then you can create something that's enjoyable to play _and_ watch."

"…" Kaiba had to hand it to the guy; he made a good point. However, this didn't change his opinion about him. They entered the large building and stepped into the elevator, taking them to the floor housing the arcade.

"Here we are Kaiba-boy. C'mon, I know a spot where we can see everything that's going on." Stepping into an employees-only hallway, the walked through the twists and turns of the labyrinth.

"I thought this was a mall, not a pyramid." Kaiba muttered, annoyed. Pegasus only laughed.

"We're here." He drawled. The two made their way up a small flight of stairs and opened the door. They were standing on a railed platform overlooking every part of the room. The clearest thing you could see was the DDR machine… and the two people climbing on it. "Oh, how interesting, Ms. Gardner's going to play. We'll _have_ to turn on the speakers for this."

"Speakers?" Pegasus only flipped a switch on the railing in response. The two gentlemen could now hear every word being said.

'What are the stakes, Johnny?' a clearly feminine voice asked. Her tone was icy, laced with disgust.

'It's very simple, Téa. If I win, you have to do what ever I want.' His cocky tone nearly sent shivers up Kaiba's spine. Even Pegasus scowled in distaste.

'And if _I_ win?'

'I'll do whatever you want. Do we have a deal?'

'Bring it.'

'Alright then, if you're sure…'

'Let's just do this.' The speaker pushed her adversary out of the way, and moved to her platform.

"You have to hand it to her," Pegasus grinned, "the girl's got guts." Kaiba didn't respond, "What's wrong, Kaiba-boy?"

"Something's up."

"Oh?" Pegasus was dying to know what the younger man knew, but didn't show it. Instead, he sounded indifferent.

"I know for a fact that Gardner's beaten Stepps before. He wouldn't challenge someone he knows he can't defeat: he doesn't have the balls. Stepps is going to sabotage her, somehow." Pegasus turned back to the arcade, curious as to whether or not his new associate was correct.

Téa was smokin'! She never missed a single beat. The crowd was cheering her name, happy to see the egotistical jerk brought down a notch. But she wasn't paying attention to any of that. She had put her body on autopilot, being good enough at this game not to find a need for concentration. Instead, she was contemplating. Johnny was losing, badly, but he wasn't losing his cool.

'_I wonder why no-'_ she hit the ground with a thud, losing. _'What the hell happened? I was doing so well…' _she glanced down. Fishing wire. Suddenly, two men she'd never seen before were lifting her by her shoulders. Johnny was, apparently, their leader.

"Well," he grinned cockily, " 'guess I won. Let's go then, shall we?" Her 'captors' roughly dragged her out of the arcade.

"Hey, stop it!" She writhed in the overly muscular men's grasp, "Where are you taking me?"

"Out of here."

"Why?"

"You'll see." They were outside the mall, having used the back exit.

"What do you think you're doing, Johnny?" Téa hissed as she was thrown into the wall of an alley.

"_I'm_ not doing anything. _You're_ fulfilling your part of the deal. You guys can go." The two men left with crisp hundred dollar bills in their grasp. Johnny pinned the brunette's arms above her head with one arm, stepping on her feet so she couldn't move.

"J-Johnny…" she was scared shitless, shaking in her boots. Leaning his body against hers, allowing her to feel his arousal. His lips crushed down with bruising force, tongue forced it's way into her mouth before being harshly bitten.

"Stupid bitch!" he slapped her. "Now, are you gonna cooperate or-" she spit in his eye, causing him to scream out in pain. "That's it…" his hand moved to the pressure point on her neck. Téa was unconscious.

(An: Warning- oocness coming… now!)

Kaiba's eyes were wide watching her get dragged away from the scene. He'd seen the look in her adversary's eyes as their gaze fell on her toned form. Johnny wanted her, badly. Red was bleeding into the CEO's vision.

Pegasus had noticed to. Why he cared, he didn't know. All he understood was that he wanted to help… no girl should be treated the way they both knew Johnny was about to treat her. He took a side-glance at Kaiba, only to be shocked by what he saw.

Kaiba's fists were clenched to the point of white knuckles, every bone in his body tense. His jaw was clenched. He was shaking. But, what got to Pegasus the most were his eyes. They were not entirely blue any longer. A fire danced within them, mixing cobalt with red. Blood red.

'_Love…'_ he took a deep breath.

"This way." Kaiba's whipped around, curious about the man's words. "They'll be going to the back alley, I'll take you there." Without any other words, the two men shot down the hall, knowing there was no time to lose. They ran down the twists and turns of the labyrinth, Pegasus's snowy hair flying behind him and Kaiba's bangs blown out of his face. Finally, they arrived at a large red door leading to the outside world. Throwing it open, they were disgusted by what they saw.

Téa was unconscious lying on the ground. Johnny was straddling her hips, kissing her neck. His fingers worked the buttons of her top nimbly. His head shot up at the sound of a growl.

Within seconds, Kaiba was pinning him to the wall by his neck. The taller boy brought back a fist, allowing it to collide with the horny one's face. The CEO dropped him before forcefully kicked his stomach, then walked away. He lifted Téa bride-style, her shirt opened to the bottom of her bra. He and Pegasus left the scene after Kaiba left the injured boy with one last threat:

"Touch her again and I'll kill you."

They climbed into the limo, gently laying the unconscious girl on the seat across from them. As the limo drove off, all was still… until five seconds later when Kaiba jumped to the other seat and buttoned her shirt. Then, he returned to his spot.

"I remember what that feeling was like. Wonderful, isn't it?" Pegasus spoke wistfully.

"W-what feeling." Kaiba tried to hide it all, but he knew what was being implied.

"You really love her, don't you?" the man turned to regard the one before him. Kaiba hesitated, before just letting it all out.

"More than love, it's- I don't know what it is, but I can't stop thinking about her. I can't eat, I can't sleep, and no matter what I do it's always like she's there. God… what do I do?" He felt like 3000 tons were just lifted from his chest… before realizing who now knew his deepest, darkest secret.

"There's only one thing you can do, Kaiba-boy: you have to tell her. Oh, and don't worry, this secrets just between us." The limo stopped at the Kaiba mansion. "You better take good care of her, she has guard dogs." Something dawned on Pegasus, "That's why you're always bothering Joey Wheeler isn't it? For her attention?"

"…"

**SLAM!**

The door shut and Kaiba entered his home, Pegasus's laughter ringing in the distance. They had reached a mutual understanding.

Ignoring the bewildered expression of his staff, Kaiba calmly yet hastily made his way up to the guest bedroom closest to his own. With some difficulty, he managed to open the door and lay the disheveled girl on the soft, silk sheets. As much as it pained him to do so, he turned and left, shutting the door softly behind him. Kaiba knew he couldn't be there when she awakened; things would be too awkward.

Turning down the hall, he stiffly made his way to Mokuba's room. He hadn't seen the boy all day and greatly missed him. Knocking first, of course, the handsome CEO turned the knob and entered the room. He wasn't at all shocked by what he saw. The Game Station was blaring, causing his entrance to go unheard. The words 'Game Over' flashed on the screen.

"You shouldn't have played 'Celtic Guardian', you needed a magic card." The elder male advised.

"Big brother!" A giant mess of raven hair tackled him, causing him to falter backward slightly. Although Téa was freakishly light to carry, Kaiba wasn't one to get much sleep, so the day's events had worn him out. Crouching down, he looked the boy in the eye.

"Hey kiddo, how was your day?" he asked, ruffling the mess Mokuba called hair.

"It was ok I guess, nothing interesting happened." Looking up, the child wrinkled his nose in worry. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Kaiba lied, getting up. "Let's get something to eat.

The two had made their way downstairs and begun to eat the meal, freshly prepared by Kaiba's cooks. Afterwards, everyone had been sent to the servant's quarters separate from the house. Don't misunderstand, it wasn't the sort of place one might keep slaves in the late 1700s, it just appeared to be a four star motel. As he finished eating, Mokuba noticed something strange.

"Seto, why is there a third serving?" Indeed, a plate of food sat on a tray. There was a vase holding a single rose and a mug of hot cocoa steaming. It was a tad chilly out. Picking up their clean dishes, Kaiba stood and carried the query to the sink. He only responded after placing them down.

"Follow me and you'll find out." Carefully lifting the aforementioned meal, the CEO ascended the stairs with his younger brother hot at his heels. Soon, they were both standing before the guest bedroom. "Open the door for me, please." Mokuba quickly complied, doing as he was told.

"Big brother… why is Téa here? I-is she ok?" Mokuba's violet-grey eyes shone with concern for his friend as Kaiba gently placed the tray on a table.

"She's fine, Mokuba. Just a little tired." With that, the young boy was ushered out since she 'needs her rest'. Mokuba let out a small yawn.

"It's late, you should get some rest. Night kiddo." The black ball of fuzz was promptly pulled into a bear hug, before turning to leave.

"Good night, Seto." As he turned down the hall, Mokuba couldn't help but smile. 'Good for you, big brother.'

* * *

RS: So, there you go. I'll write Ch. 3 a.s.a.p. It'll probably be the last chapter. Later! 


	3. WHERE THE HELL AM I?

RS: Sorry this took so long; I had a lot going on. Look: standardized testing started, I was so sick I could hardly get out of bed, then there was the science fair, plus a close friend of the family ended up in the hospital. Also, I wanted to update all my stories on the same day. So, here's the next chapter.

**WARNING:** _Major_ oocness! (Hey, I was sick!)

* * *

**Chapter 3 **

**WHERE THE HELL AM I!**

_'Ugh, what happened? God, my head…'_

Téa opened her eyes, waiting for the blurriness to disperse. Sitting up, she placed a hand to her forehead. Her palms felt cold and sweaty on her skin, almost like a mixture of nerves and sickness. Her mind swam as she moved her hand to in front of her mouth, muffling a short coughing fit. She finally looked around the room.

She was sitting on a soft, queen-sized bed. It was covered in ocean blue, silk sheets and a midnight blue canopy above. To her left was a nightstand, wedged between the one of the denim colored walls and the bed upon which she currently resided. Other than that, there was a bureau, another nightstand, and two white doors. All of which rested on clean, white carpeting. A beautiful, blown glass light fixture adorned the blank, white ceiling. What really caught her attention, though, was the folding table sitting directly to her right. A tray sat there, with a covered platter, hot cocoa, and a vase holding a single rose.

Furrowing her brow, Téa picked up the red flower and fingered its silky petals. The smooth, satin like texture mixed with a slight coating of dewdrops felt soothing against the girl's fingertips. She placed the rose back in its crystal holder, before allowing her gaze to flicker toward the digital clock residing on the dresser by her side.

'_Wow, it's 10:49. That's pretty late.'_ Now, it is common knowledge that when one first wakes up in a strange place, you do not immediately panic. A drowsy haze is set on one's mind, and it takes a moment for your common sense to kick in. Téa's moment has just passed. The common sense should kick in right about… now.

'_Wait a minute… WHERE THE HELL AM I?'_ jumping up, she looked around wildly, only stopping to steady herself from a head rush. She placed a wet palm on her brow. _'I remember Johnny and-'_ Her memory dawned on her _'Oh shoot! Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot! God, how far did he get? I don't think very, I feel exactly the same. Someone must have stopped him and helped me; he'd never have taken me anywhere. No way, I'd have been left to rot. That smarmy bastard…'_

Deciding she couldn't just stand there mentally cursing out Johnny Stepps, she opened one of the doors: a closet. Well, that didn't help her. She moved to the other door, residing on the wall farthest from the bed. Opening it, she found herself in a dark hall.

'_At least it's not a closet.'_ The brunette mentally reasoned, _'now, which way do I go?' _after randomly choosing a direction, her trek had begun. Actually, you couldn't really call it a trek, because five minutes later she had bumped into something and landed on the ground.

"Oof!" her hand found it's way up to her head. It seemed to be doing that a lot as of late.

'God, and I thought I had a headache before…' 

"Téa?" a young voice called out.

"Mokuba? What are you-… where are we?" She was seriously confused.

"You don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

"Oh, I guess you were already unconscious when you got here."

"Got _where_?" she asked, beginning to sound slightly exasperated.

"The mansion."

"Mansion! How'd that happen?"

"Wow, you were unconscious for everything, weren't you?"

"Yeah, I was. What's going on?"

"I'm not sure. All I know is big brother carried you here."

"**_WHAT_**? Why would Kaiba bring me?"

"I dunno." Mokuba lied with expert precision.

'_Maybe because he's desperately in love with you and has been since you guys were freshmen…'_ the boy shook himself of these thoughts, choosing to return to the real world.

"Did you find the food Seto left for you?" he asked, attempting to sound nonchalant. If his brother wasn't going to let her know how he felt, Mokuba would have to play matchmaker. Lord knows the older boy needed a girlfriend.

"H-_he_ left that?" Téa squeaked.

"Yeah, did you eat it?"

"A-ac-" she cleared her throat as she was hit by another coughing fit, "actually, I was kind of preoccupied." She chuckled nervously, "wanted to know more about where I was before eating some randomly found food."

"Oh, ok."

"I should probably find S-your brother. I need to, uh… thank him and get home."

'_Why did I almost call Kaiba 'Seto'!' _the brunette mentally panicked (An: yes, I know, the whole 'Kaiba'/'Seto' thing is way over done)

'_Yeah right,'_ Mokuba mentally rolled his eyes, _'you just want to see him and find out whether or not I was lying. It's totally obvious you like him.'_

"Sure, do you remember where you came from?"

"Yeah…" She coughed a bit more. (An: Grr… there are no synonyms for cough!)

"It's five doors down the hall, on the left. By the way, are you alright?"

"Yes," she cleared her throat, "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you don't look so good. And you keep coughing."

"I'm fi-" Téa was cut off by another fit, which she quickly silenced before placing a hand to her head. "I've felt better."

"Why don't you go back to your room and get some rest? I can send Seto in to see you."

"No, no, that's alright Mokuba. I'll just go thank him now. I've got a long walk home."

" What do you mean 'a long walk home'? You can't walk around like this, you could get worse, or go to the hospital, or… or… or _die_!" he emphasized his point by flailing his arms about, making it so the female couldn't help but giggle.

"I'll be fine." She spoke reassuringly, a small smile on her face. "I just need to get going."

The two chose this moment to stand up. Well, Mokuba jumped up while his female counterpart slowly lifted herself into a vertical stance. Unfortunately, Téa's stance didn't last long as she was hit by another coughing fit. This one caused her migraine to increase tenfold, making her sway. Her hand made it's way to her forehead as her knees buckled and she collapsed backward.

"Oh no!" Mokuba reached out to grab, although the action was in vain. Seconds before her back would have met the ground; she was enveloped in softness and warmth. Glancing up, blurry cobalt filled her view.

"He's right," a raspy voice reached her ears, "you aren't in any condition to walk home."

"Wha- Kaiba?" she asked confused and dazedly. Quickly shaking herself back to reality, she stepped out of his arms and muttered a quick thank you, blushing the entire time.

"Big brother!" a black ball of lint- er, fuzz pounced on the boy for the second time that night. "What are you doing here?" the fuzz had noticed the exchange between his sibling and, hopefully, soon-to-be half-sister, but chose to pretend not to, although inside he was grinning. (An: Boy, the fuzz's overactive imagination sure thinks far ahead.)

"I was coming to check if you were in bed yet. What are you doing here?" the handsome one countered.

"I was coming up from the kitchen, where I was getting a glass of water, when I bumped into Téa on the way to my room."

"Alright then." Kaiba sighed, crouching down to Mokuba's level, "But, right now, it's time for bed. 'Night kiddo."

"'Night, Seto. Good night big sister." The older sibling stiffened in surprise at the boy's final words.

"G-" Téa cleared her throat, ridding her voice of all shock from his words, "Good night, Mokuba." Grinning, the young boy scampered around the corner and into his room. Upon the sound of his door shutting, the two teens turned to regard one another.

* * *

Ok, I know this is the middle of the chapter. However, there is a matter I found **important** and needed to address: ditching stories. This is not a personal insult, but some of you may connect with what I'm saying in a positive or negative fashion. It's no problem if you are going to put one on Hiatus if you need a break from it, but if you may not come back to writing it make sure you say it somewhere. There are plenty of places, including an author's note or your bio. 

Further more, if you're a member but no longer wish to be one, LET PEOPLE KNOW YOU'RE LEAVING! This is especially bad when you have a large number of fan fictions, like fifteen, in the works. Many loyal reviewers are waiting for an update that never comes. The least you could do is announce your departure so no one's holding his or her breath. In fact, if you're leaving, why keep half written stories up?

I'm sorry if I've offended anyone, but this really gets on my nerves. I had to put this here because, in my experience, no one reads the beginning or ending authors notes. Now, back to the fic.

* * *

"C'mon," Kaiba ordered gruffly, "Let's get you back to the guest room." 

"Oh no," Téa protested, "I should get home. It's late and I have things to do."

"Tch, it's not like you need to be worried about getting enough sleep, Gardner, we have off from school tomorrow, remember?" (An: don't ask me why, they just do!)

"Still, I should go."

"You're too sick to-" Ignoring the statement, she bowed in gratitude.

"Thank you for your help, Kaiba-kun. It's most appreciated, but I need to be going. I'm sorry for being a burden and for any trouble I may have caused. Thank you again and please, say goodbye to Mokuba for me." She turned to leave in an attempt to escape, only to feel a tight grasp on her forearm. She whipped around to meet him.

"Gardner: you're staying." His head was spinning, partially from the suffix accompanying his surname, partially from the contact, though not intimate, that had brought them so close.

"Let. Go. Kaiba." She enunciated each syllable with extra emphasis evident in her soprano voice, which was growing more and more hoarse by the minute. The formal title indicating some level of respect had been dropped from his name.

Their eyes met and time seemed to stop. Fire challenged ice; her warm, oceanic orbs fought his hardened and dull cerulean gaze. An azure battle waged between them, sapphire sparks flying. Their angry expressions dispersed under each other's observation, making way for a hazy, distracted appearance. It was like the sea after a raging storm. The dark of the ocean and violence of the thrashing waves gave birth to a calm paradise of crystal clear water, swaying ships gently toward their destination with a clean sky containing only small wisps of cotton candy floating next to a glowing sun and contrasting the dark outline of birds crossing overhead. Their fight had become a calm presence.

Kaiba was the first to awaken from his mental zen. His eyes hardened to their original state and his expression grew cold once more. He got ready to send some harsh, biting words her way.

"God damn it, Gardner! You're in no condition to go anywhere so get back to your room, now!"

"No, now let go of me!" she gave a futile attempt to get away, "What do you care, anyway?"

"I don't need your death on my conscience!" he tugged a little, temper slowly approaching it's low boiling point.

"Grr… don't you have a boyfriend you can run of to or something?" she spat venomously, before coughing a bit.

"What could possess you to ask that?" he asked, his guard up as far as it could possibly go.

"Come _on_!" she moaned, obviously tired of him being stubborn, as she rubbed her temple "You're 100 percent homosexual! I should know," she added, "I'm the one who first figured it out." Téa knew she had said the wrong thing as soon as the words came out. She clamped her free hand over her mouth in fear.

"… _What_?" the female attempted to step back but he still had a firm grip on her arm, which had promptly tightened. She wished desperately to get away, and found that wishing with all her might didn't work. "_You_ started that rumor?" the boy seethed.

"Well, yes and no." she spoke calmly, hoping the demeanor would rub off on him. "I was the first one to figure everything out, but I only told my friends. I have no idea how it got out, honest!" it didn't.

"How dare you…" he advanced, "How can you come to such extreme conclusions without any proof?" he was yelling now.

"K-Kaiba? Now d-don't do anything d-drastic…" she reasoned backing away, coughing all the while.

'_Stupid wall!'_ her back collided with something hard. He was inches away from her, rage burning in his dark eyes.

"'Don't do anything drastic'? Everyone's calling me a faggot because of you! I've become the laughing stock of the world! I'll never be able to show my face again! You want me to be _calm_?" Okay, that was it; she was tired of him overreacting to one small rumor. Plus, he was making her migraine worse.

"God damn it, Kaiba! It's not like it isn't true!" she screeched back, eyes watering from the bruising grip on her arm. "I'm a girl, I have gaydar!"

"But what proof do you have?" he demanded, only to be blown away by how perceptive she was. He'd always known she was intelligent, but never thought she was _this_ intuitive.

"Plenty: You sit with your legs crossed in a gay fashion. No guys dress with such well coordinating colors unless they're homosexual. You never dress like normal guys out age, your pants and shirts are all the right length, and nothing's baggy or ripped. I've never seen you _really_ do anything that might get your hands dirty, like your afraid of filth or something. You're always completely neat and tidy without a strand out of hair out of place. You're a complete perfectionist, always minding the minor details. You always arrive on time, right on the dot. Put all those surface qualities together and that spells gay." She ended with a cough.

"I'm not gay, Gardner. Besides, that's hardly proof."

'_Man, how stupid am I? 'All those surface qualities', hello, '_surface_ qualities'! That means she has more details to support her!'_

"Oh yeah? Well, how 'bout this: You don't have a girlfriend and instead of flirting you're always glaring at _boys_, even though there are females throwing themselves at you! In fact, you never pay attention to any girls at all!"

"That's not true…" his grip lessened. She was about to pull away when something found its way to her waist. It was his other hand. Looking up, she was met with a face two inches from her own.

"I have to go." She all but ran from him, only to fall back down on her knees after couple of yards. "Ugh, my head…" she leaned forward on her hands, "Why do I feel this way?" she asked, mostly herself, while coughing.

"Post traumatic stress." Kaiba answered bluntly walking over, "You're shaken up and your body's a mess."

'_But it's not in my eyes. To me, you're gorgeous…'_ It was amazing that, no matter how angry he got at her, he always loved her immediately afterward, sometimes even while he was still mad.

"Oh." she coughed a little, before standing up and shivering, "I-I h-have to get h-home."

"No, you're far too sick. You just got the chills for god sakes." He looked at her like she was insane, and to stubborn for her own good. "You'll have to spend the rest of our week off resting."

"Look it's just a s-short walk across a few streets to my place. I'll be f-fine!" she reasoned.

"Where do you live, Gardner?" he asked suspiciously. She mumbled something incoherent. "What?" he leaned in closer so he could hear her.

"Sunnyside Drive." She whispered.

"Where's that?"

"… Near Main Street."

"Near _Main Street_! That's half way across town! Further more you'd have to walk through the worst neighborhood in Domino City! I can't let you go!"

"I t-told you, I'll be fine!"

"No! What happens if some other jerk tries to touch you! I don't-…" he snapped his mouth shut and turned away. Téa's sapphire eyes softened as she regarded his profile quizzically.

"You don't what?" she inquired softly, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"…I don't want you plaguing my conscience." He replied hotly, shrugging off her hand and beginning a rant. "You never…" he kept going.

"I'll stay."

"…Thought about- what?" his rant came to an abrupt halt as he turned to look at her. She sighed and closed her eyes; this was tough for her to say, especially to Kaiba.

"You're r-right, it's not safe. I'd be a fool to go now; it's better if I s-stay. Thank you, Kaiba-kun" She coughed yet again.

"Tch, whatever. I'll take you to call your parents."

"Oh, you don't have to. They're out of town on a b-business trip for the next three weeks."

"And no one's checking up on you?" he asked incredulously.

"Actually, I contact my neighbor if I n-need help and they call every three days."

"Well, when did they last call?"

"Today, while I was at the arcade w-with Yugi, Joey, and Tristan."

"Hn, figures you losers would be together." She rolled her eyes.

"_What_ do you have against us?" she asked, poking a finger into his chest. She only stopped to cover her mouth and muffle another fit.

"I don't think that's really important at the moment…" he gazed down at her, emotionless mask back up in order to hide his worry. "Let's get you back to your room." On the way there they took part in some friendly small talk… well, as much as Kaiba could stand for.

"So, uh…" Téa was at a loss for ideas. She was used to hanging out with her friends, not Kaiba. What was there to say?

"You said your parents are on a business trip," he interrupted, "are the together?"

"Yeah," she answered nonchalantly, "they're psychiatrists, met in college n' became partners. T-there's a month long seminar in Hong Kong where a bunch of speakers were i-invited." She faded off.

"What are psychiatric field are your parents speaking about?"

"Children, Teens, a-and Young Adults."

"Three?"

"My mom focuses more on Young Adults and my d-dad on Children. Both work with T-Teens."

"… Do you fight a lot? With your parents, I mean."

"Interestingly enough, no. You'd think I would, since it's assumed their always trying to psychoanalyze me, but we get along great. The only t-time it's annoying is when they can tell why I'm acting the way I am, especially before I know the r-reason myself." She added an honest joke to lighten the mood a bit.

"Hn."

"… Uh, hey Kaiba-kun?"

"What?"

"If you don't mind my asking, w-what were your parents like? I mean, did you get along with them like me or did you feel like you hated them?" There was a long pause.

"… I don't remember them well enough." He stated gruffly. Téa could tell he was lying, but determined it wasn't a good idea to push the subject. "Here." They arrived at the room she had been staying in before.

"Thanks again for letting me stay, Kaiba-kun. It was extremely g-generous of you." She half-whispered sincerely.

"Whatever, I just don't want you on my conscience."

"Oh… well, good night."

"Night."

Before he had a chance to move, before she had a chance to think, it happened. The young dancer had boosted herself up using the tips of her toes, and brushed her lips against the soft skin of his cheek. Blushing she moved down, not missing his flushed face and stunned bunny appearance.

"Good night." She repeated quietly slipping back into her room.

Kaiba blinked, before blinking a second and third time.

The female brunette could have sworn she heard a very distinct 'YES!' coming from the otherside of the door.

'_Nah,'_ she thought, _'It was just my imagination.'_

**End Chapter

* * *

**

RS: I warned you, major ooc. Leave a review please!


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